Julia Bairstow
JuliaB
Julia Bairstow
I am about to spend six months volunteering in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Actually, the idea of this venture would never have come about had I not gone to a VSO meeting with a friend and then met someone on a walking group, who told me about this organisation, through which she had applied to work as a volunteer. After considerable thought, I decided that I would like to spend some time volunteering on a worthwhile overseas project and that following my retirement would be the right time to do this, as my younger daughter went off to university last year and my elder daughter is around to look after the house and the cat!
Most of my professional career has been spent working as a teacher and I feel sure that the skills and knowledge, which I have acquired over the years, will be beneficial in this project. I am going to be working in the area of women’s rights and gender equality supporting a Women’s Empowerment for Social Change programme. I do feel rather apprehensive about the whole venture but feel sure that when I return towards the end of September, I shall have had a fantastic experience working with and meeting interesting people, as well as having had the opportunity to visit different areas of this fascinating country.